Controlling device for elevator-bin slides.



I F. R. MOQUEEN..

CONTROLLING DEVIGE FOR ELEVATOR BIN SLIDES.

. APPLICATION FILED JAN. l1, 908.' Patented 1 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

F. R. MOQUEEN- CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR BIN SLIDES.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.11,'1908. Y 7 923,291 Patented June 1,1909.

2 SHEETS-48113111 2. 20

C f I'ZZ I L 29 222? Q //A .20 4 A: 29 if/r/z l y gjswv FINLAY R. MeQUEEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GQNTECLLING- DEViIL"E ELEVAT R-BIN SELLDES.

Specification 01" Letters E'atent. Patented June 1, 1909.

Application filed January 11, 1908. Serial No. 410,368.

T all whom it may concern: ating rods 5, 6, 7 and 8, arranged parallel fie it known that i, FiNLAY CQUEEN,

of lvilinne apolis, Hennepin county, -linnesota,

provements in Controlling Devices for ElevatonBin Slides, of which the followin is a )ecrhcatron.

or large capacity are employed into which discharged. This flow from the bins on to a carrier belt which conveys it to the elevator leg. The bins ar provided with slides covering discharge openings and as the grain in the bins often includes several different grades it is important order to avoid mixing of the dillerent grades. A devic for the same purpose is shown and I with one another and operating between suitable guide wheels 9. have invented certain new and useful lin- The reciprocation oi these rods will operate the slides to open and close them and each rod is connected to an oscillating bar 10 that is pivoted at a V point intermediate to its ends in a bracket in the operation of a grain elevator, bins i 11, the bars oscillating in vertical planes and 3 having their upper ends connected by rods the grain from cars sta ding on the tracks, is grain is then allowed to 12 to a series of levers 13, 14 15 and 16. The rods 12 are provided with turn buckles 17 by means oi which the proper adjustment to obtain the desired throw of the levers is obtained.

The levers are pivoted at points interi mediate to their ends and a series oi wheels that the how from one bin be stopped before the discharge begins irom another bin in 3 l S, 19, 20 and 21 are provided near said levers and have their peripheries in contact therewith and normally locking said levers in an inclined position and positively preventing described in my pending application lIo. 410,369,1ileddanl1,1.908.

The object oi" my i. vention therefore, is to provide an apparatus whereby the slides of each bin are positively controlled and no two bins can be opened to discharge their oonl the slides from being opened. The wheels are mounted on a shalt 22 that has bearings 23 on a base 24 and carries a beveled gear 25 meshing with a similar gear 26 on the lower end of post 27. The upper end of said. post is provided with a hand wheel 28.

tents at the same time, and it will be impossible to open one bin without closing all the others.

My invention consists general y in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed. out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation of a bin-slide-controlling apparatus embo dying my invention. of the same.

mechanism for controlling the same. Fig. l

nections at their lower ends omitted. is a plan section on the line (2 -0 of i Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating the mechanism tor locking the lovers in closed position. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the wheels by means of which the movement of the lovers is controlled. Figs. 8, 9, ll) and El are sectional views taken respectively on the section lines T iese slides are con nected at l to horizontally arran ed operis a plan view 9 f l mg. .i is a detail 510.9 mm o the levers attached to the slides and the Upon turning this post the wheels will be revolved. Each wheel is provided with a flattened surface 29 arranged at a dill'erent point on the periphery from that of each of the other wheels, for instance, the flat surlace oi' the iirst wheel may be arranged on the lirst quarter, that ol' the second wheel on the second quarter, the third wheel on the third quarter and the fourth wheel on the fourth quarter. he result of this arrangement is that when the flat surface is opposite the edge of the lever contiguous to said surlace, said lever may be swung to a vertical position to open the slide. is an edge view of the levers with the coni levers at the same time and consequently when one lever is operated to open its slide all the other levers will be locked, and if the slide of one bin is open and it is desired to open the slide of another bin, then the lover of the iii-st bin must be operated to close its slide before the lever of the second bin can be operated. to open its slide.

1 have shown four levers and four wheels, but obviously this number may be varied according to the number of bins to be controlled. lhc principle will be the same whether there are a less or greater number of levers and wheels. The wheels and the lower portions of the levers will generally be located below the floor 30, the operating post and handle projecting above said floor, and to enable the attendant to intelligently con trol the movement of the slides I provide a plate 31 on the floor and a disk 32 secured to the post 27 above said plate. Notches 33 and 34 are provided in the periphery of said disk and alternating with one another, and a dog 35 is mounted on the base 31 and adapted to drop into said notches. The notches 34 are marked to correspond with the operating levers and when the disk 32 has been revolved and the dog allowed to drop into one of the notches 34, the attendant will understand that the wheel controlling the movement of the lever having the number or mark corresponding to that on the notch, has been revolved to allow the said lever to be moved to an open position and the bin slide connected with that lever actuated to open the bin and discharge the grain. The adjustment of the dog in any of the other notches 34 will produce a similar result, the attendant understanding that by revolving the disk until the dog drops into one of the notches 34, that the lever marked to correspond to that notch, may then be operated. l Vhenever the dog is in one of the alternate notches 33 all the levers will be locked and it will be impossible to operate a slide to release the grain. With this device the opening of a slide cannot take place until all the others are closed and it will be impossible for a mixture of grain of different grades to occur.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with two or more bins having discharge openings and slides therefor, of operating levers connected with said slides and a controlling device for said levers, said device including revolving wheels having flattened areas that are adapted to contact with said levers and preventing simultaneous movement of two or more of said levers but permitting successive independent movement thereof.

2. The combination, with two or more bins having discharge openings and slides therefor, and operating levers connected with said slides and a revolving controlling device arranged to prevent simultaneous movement of said levers but permitting successive independent movement thereof said controlling device including wheels having flattened peripheries which engage said levers.

3. The combination, with two or more bins having discharge openings and slides therefor, and a series of levers connected with said slides, of revolving wheels having their peripheries in engagement with the edges of said levers, said peripheries having flattened surfaces, which when opposite the edges of said levers permit oscillation thereof, and said flattened surfaces being arranged at different points on the peripheries of the Wheel whereby independent operation of each lever is permitted but simultaneous movement of two or more of them is prevented.

4. The combination, with two or more bins having discharge openings and slides therefor, and operating means for said slides, of a controlling mechanism arranged to regulate the movement of said operating means and permit independent operation of each but preventing simultaneous movement of two or more of them, and an indicating mechanism connected with said controlling means whereby the attendant at a glance can determine the position of the slides said indicating mechanism having a post connected with said controlling mechanism and provided with operating means, a disk secured to said post and having peripheral notches suitably marked to represent the different levers, and a dog arranged to drop into said notches, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with two or more bins having dischar e openings and slides therefor, operating devers connected with said slides, a series of wheels having flattened peripheries at intervals and arranged to contact with the edges of said levers, the flattened surfaces being arranged at different points on the peripheries of said wheels whereby only one lever can be operated at a time, a post geared to said wheels and having a hand wheel, a disk secured to said post having a series of peripheral notches, the alternate notches being marked to correspond with the different levers and a dog arranged to drop into the notches marked to correspond to the levers and indicate that the lever for that notch is free to be operated to open the slide,

or to enter the notches alternating with those j.

corresponding to the levers and indicate that all the levers are in their locked position, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with two or more bins having discharge openings and slides therefor, and operating means for said slides, of a controlling mechanism arranged to regu late the movement of said operating means and permit independent operation of each slide but preventin simultaneous movement of two or more of them, and an indicating mechanism connected with said controlling means and comprising a notched disk, and a dog arranged to engage said notches, and means for operating said disk to move said notches past said dog.

7. The combination, with two or more bins, having discharge openings and slides therefor, of a series of operating levers arranged side by side and connected with said 7 slides, and a controlling mechanism including means arranged to be set in the path of said levers to lock them against oscillation, means for operating said locking means, and an indicating device provided in connection with said operating means whereby the position ently of one another against oscillation, and of the locking means can be determined at a means for operatmgsald wheels to lock or reglance. lease a lever.

8. The combination, with two or more In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 5 blins arranged side lfy slide and jhavinfg dismy hand this 4th day of December 1907. eiarge openings an( sli es there or, o' a ser H T ries of operating levers arranged side by side LAY MCQUEEB" connected with said slides, wheels having Witnesses: flattened faces located in the path of said le- RICHARD PAUL,

1O vers and arranged to lock them independ- J. A. BYINGTON. 

